Many devices are known for supporting plants, particularly seedlings such as tomato plants which need to be transplanted as the plant matures and which are often shipped in flats or pots for further transplanting in outdoor gardens. Often a vertical stake is used to support the stems of the delicate seedlings or the maturing plants and the plant or seedling is tied to the stake with string, wire or twist ties. However this taking and typing process is time consuming and cumbersome. The ties are prone to slipping, especially with the continual growth of the plant and the rough movement of shipping.
Various plant stakes have been designed to support plant stems, especially at the seedling stage, with clasps. One example can be seen in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,098, issued Nov. 20, 1984 to Anderson. However, in that device, the clasp was produced separate from the vertical supporting stake and the device therefore needed to be assembled by the end user with pins and fasteners and the like. Also, the device could not be produced in a simple stamping operation because the clasp was produced with a pre-formed arcuate shape.
A need exists for a plant support device which can be inexpensively and simply manufactured and which can be easily assembled by the end user.